The Centre de Congrès de Saint-Étienne hosts congresses, conventions, seminars, general assemblies, trade shows, competitions and gala dinners for 30 to 2,200 participants. It occupies part of the historic site of the Manufacture Française d'armes et de cycles, in the center of Saint-Étienne, in the Loire department.
Seminars and company events
Seminars, meetings and study days are accepted from 20 people. A day package for 50 to 800 participants includes an air-conditioned meeting room with projector and sound, a break area, morning and afternoon breaks and a seated lunch. Half-day packages are also offered.
For larger events, the amphitheater seats up to 800 and can be reduced to 700, 500 or 300 seats. Fifteen meeting and workshop rooms take 15 to 200 people each, so a congress can run a plenary and parallel sessions in the same building. Exhibition space reaches 3,000 square meters, and the reception lounges hold more than 1,000 guests for a cocktail.
The building totals 6,500 square meters of air-conditioned space. Services include a cloakroom and luggage room, high-speed Wi-Fi and digital signage on LCD screens that can be personalized. Organisers have a single contact and an on-site team. The center hosts more than 200 events a year and carries the Safe & Clean label. It is run by Saint-Étienne Événements, which also manages La Verrière next door, an extra space for atypical formats.
Weddings and receptions
The center sells festive events: themed dinners, gala evenings, fashion shows and graduation ceremonies. A 400-square-meter entrance hall with cloakrooms and reception desks welcomes guests. The team offers stage and technical services, buffet decoration and entertainment such as musicians or a DJ. Weddings are not listed.
Rooms and capacities
- Amphitheater: 800 seats, adjustable to 700, 500 or 300.
- Fifteen meeting and workshop rooms: 15 to 200 seats.
- Exhibition areas: up to 3,000 square meters.
- Reception lounges: more than 1,000 guests standing.
- Entrance hall: 400 square meters.
- Organiser spaces: an office and dressing rooms.
A plan with the capacity of each room can be downloaded from the official site.
Catering
Catering covers up to 2,200 people, in the form of a seated lunch, buffet, cocktail or gala dinner. The building has kitchens and a caterer service area, and menus are adapted to each budget.
History and setting
The center stands on the former site of the national arms and cycle factory, a landmark of the city's industrial past. The glass dome of the building and the nearby Verrière give the venue its look. The center has some thirty years of experience in event organisation.
Getting there
Saint-Étienne is 50 kilometers from Lyon and 2 hours 40 minutes from Paris by direct TGV. The center is ten minutes from Châteaucreux station. From Châteaucreux, tram T2 or T3 runs to Jean Moulin, where bus line 6 continues to the Centre Congrès stop. By car, Lyon is 50 minutes away, Le Puy-en-Velay one hour and Clermont-Ferrand 1 hour 40 minutes. Lyon Saint-Exupéry airport is 50 minutes by car. An underground car park serves the Espace Fauriel, which also has a Vélivert bike station. The address is 23 rue Pierre et Dominique Ponchardier.
